I Made It With Love (On hiatus)
by Death546
Summary: Winter has come to Paris, which means Adrien gets to bust out his favorite scarf. Comfortable, warm, and special, Adrien's only gift from his father in years is something for him to look forward to wearing. But when Nino lets slip a secret about the scarf, Adrien's feelings for his father darken. And his feelings for, and his curiosity in, his awkward classmate start to develop.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own MLB or any of it's characters. If I did Adrien and Marinette would be canonically married right now. :D**

Adrien's eyes fluttered open at the blaring alarm on his nightstand. He yawned, reaching out to hit the snooze, rubbing his eyes as he slowly woke up. He shivered, and glanced out his window to see permafrost on the glass. He grinned. Most people hated the cold, but to Adrien it meant he got to wear his favorite scarf again.

He ran to his dresser, throwing on his normal jeans and T-shirt, slinging on a white jacket. He reached into the top drawer, removing the bright blue scarf and beaming at it before slinging it around his shoulders. Maybe it was silly to get so excited about a scarf, but this scarf was special, an actual present from his father, something he couldn't remember getting for years.

He finished tying his shoes as Plagg woke up, yawning and, as expected, immediately whining for his morning dose of camembert.

"I asked the cook to leave a plate of cheese on the table by the door last night, Plagg. It's over there." Adrien said, watching as his kwami let out a happy squeal, and dove into the pile of stinky cheese. Plagg floated out of the pile, mouth stuffed, and noticed his holder's new attire. "Snazzy scarf. That the one your dad gave you last year?"

"Yep! And now I get to wear it again. Finish up, Plagg, I don't want to be late for school." He said, still grinning.

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Adrien made sure Plagg was comfortably snuggled in his pocket before going downstairs, saying a quick good morning to Nathalie and grabbing a croissant as he got into the car with Gorilla.

He gazed out the window as he was driven to school. Paris was beautiful in the winter, the people sporting stylish new winter jackets and hats and scarfs, the frostiness against the glass and grass, the crisp chill in the air, the hint of snow against the rooftops. He sighed as he spotted Chloe Bourgeois waiting by the stairs of the school for Sabrina, who was carrying both their bags. Maybe there was a way to sneak by this time…

His eyes lit up at the sight of his friends on the other side of the stairs, talking and laughing about something. "Hey, Gorilla? Can you drop me off over there? By Nino and the girls?" His driver/bodyguard grunted, complying and parking next to them. "Thanks, see you this afternoon! By Gorilla!" He said, exiting the car.

He was now used to Marinette's mannerisms around him, so he didn't think twice of the sharp squeak he heard as he approached them. "Hey guys!" he greeted.

"Hey Adrien!" Alya greeted, followed by a "S'up bro?" from Nino and a quiet "Hi Adrien." from Marinette. Alya's eyes fell to his scarf. "Hey, cool scarf."

Adrien smiled. "Yeah, it's my favorite scarf." He replied, oblivious to Marinette's wide smile at his comment. "I still can't believe my Dad got me this, it's awesome."

"Yeah, it is. Looks good too." Nino commented. Adrien's eyes wandered over to Chloe, who was still watching for Adrien's limo. Nino followed his gaze. "I think we can sneak you past." He whispered. "Keep your head down."

Adrien grinned, laughing a little as he ducked his head. "Thanks. Normally I wouldn't mind, but I'm in too good of a mood today to hear 'Adrikens!'" This earned a laugh from the others as they got inside the school, and Adrien lifted his head up. They walked together to class, Nino striking up a conversation about the upcoming class project.

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The teacher decided to give them a free period as she graded papers. Adrien decided to use the time daydreaming. Tonight was patrol night, he would get to see his Lady again. He closed his eyes, imagining runnin behind her as her pigtails bounced with each leap, the moonlight…

He was torn from his thoughts from Nino snapping his fingers by his ear. "Hellooo? Earth to Adrien?"

"Wha… yeah? What?" He responded, waking from his dream. He had actually fallen asleep.

"I asked if you're up for hanging out on Saturday. My parents just got a new TV, it's awesome! I was thinking we could play videogames." His friend repeated, grinning.

"That sounds fun! I'm doing a photoshoot that afternoon, but I'm free after 2:30, is that okay?" He asked, Nino nodding to show that it was.

Alya leaned over her and Marinette's desk. "So, Adrien. Are you gonna model the scarf for any of your shoots?" She prodded, wanting to return Marinette's grin from earlier when Adrien had complimented the scarf.

"My dad really only wants me to model the clothes he releases. I think this was custom made, the design is so unique, and he never released it to the public. My dad actually made me a whole new design!" He said, smiling. "It's comfortable, it's warm, it's looks great, it's a masterpiece. I probably would have encouraged him to release it if I didn't love the novelty of it being one of a kind." Marinette was working to hide the immense grin spreading across her face.

Alya was smirking. "Yeah, it really is a masterpiece. You look good in it, doesn't he Marinette?"

Marinette's face, somehow, turned even redder. "Y-yeah! You do look ho… Great in it! Not that you're not… I mean it looks… you look good." She finished meekly.

He smiled at her, and turned his attention back to Nino. "So, Saturday at 2:30. Sounds good, I'll let Nathalie know." He said.

Nino nodded and grinned, then turned to Alya as Adrien returned to his daydream. _He is so oblivious._ He mouthed.

 _Shut your face._ She mouthed back, glancing sideways at Marinette who was staring shamelessly at the back of Adrien's head.

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Adrien double checked to make sure all his homework was in his bag before shutting his locker. Nino was waiting next to him, bobbing his head to unknown music from his headphones. Adrien tapped his shoulder to let him know he was done, and Nino lowered the headset to walk with his friend. Nino glanced at the scarf. "So… do you… uh… ever wear that around your Dad?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I did last winter during shoots and parties and such."

"And… did he ever comment on it?"

"No. But I didn't expect him too. You know he's not the emotional type, so I never really expected him to acknowledge my wearing it." He sighed. "I'm not sure he actually noticed I was wearing it." He added sadly. Then his face perked up. "But again, I wasn't expecting him too. I'm fine enjoying it on my own. Besides, he's never really acknowledged even his best works, just focusing on making the next piece."

Nino nodded, looking at the scarf. "Yeah, Marinette did an awesome job." He said. He was confused as to why Adrien suddenly froze. "What?"

Adrien slowly turned to look at him. "What did you say?"

Nino went over the conversation in his head, then paled as he realized he had said that out loud. "Uhhhh…" _Uh oh._

And that's the first chapter! Let me know what you thought!


	2. Chapter 2

Nino scrambled for words as Adrien stared at his friend in shock. Adrien ended up breaking the silence. "Marinette… made this?"

"No!" Nino blurted. "I mean, uh… no! I didn't say that! I said… Man he did a good job! Sounds similar, I know. Maybe you should get your ears checked, man. Because Marinette did not make that. At all."

Adrien took the scarf off and stared at it. It was soft, and electric blue. And now that he noticed, completely unlike any of his father's designs. "Why didn't she tell me?" He whispered.

Nino gave up. "Look, Adrien, you have to swear you won't tell anyone I told you. Alya made me promise I wouldn't say anything." He begged.

Adrien stared dumbfounded at Nino. "Why didn't she tell me?" He repeated.

"She… oh God, Adrien… she saw how happy you were about your dad giving you a present for your birthday, she didn't want to spoil it for you." Nino explained. "Now, back to promising you won't tell Alya I told you…"

Adrien tuned his friend out, a wave of emotions washing over him. First, confusion at the overall situation. Then, disappointment that his father hadn't actually gotten him a special present after all. Then the realization that Marinette had made him a scarf for his birthday, that brought a strange pleasant feeling and thankfulness. And finally anger and outrage that his father had the audacity to take his classmate's work and pawn it off as his own. This was the emotion that stuck out, and Adrien's face hardened as he brushed past a helpless Nino to the waiting limo. There was no way he would stand for this.

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As soon as the limo parked in front of the mansion, Adrien stormed off through the house to his father's office. As he neared the doors, Nathalie saw him about to barge in. "Adrien, your father is in the middle of…"

Adrien ignored her as he opened the doors and stalked inside. Gabriel Agreste glanced up from a video call in annoyance. "Adrien, I'm in the middle of…"

Adrien thrust out the scarf. "Do you recognize this?"

His father looked in disinterest at the scarf. He sighed, and turned to the monitor. "I'm sorry, let me call you back in a minute. I need to deal with this." He pressed a button and glared at his son. "This better be important, Adrien."

Adrien was shaking. "You don't even recognize this, do you?" Adrien demanded. Nathalie was watching from the doorway, and her eyes widened as she recognized the scarf. One of Adrien's friends had dropped it off on his birthday last year, and in her moment of desperation had passed it off as his father's gift. "This was your birthday present to me last year."

Gabriel looked at the scarf again. "I see. And?"

"And?! This was made for me from scratch by my classmate! Who knows how long it took her to make this? And you passed it off as your own. That's the _and_." Adrien snapped.

His father was scowling. "Don't take that tone with me, Adrien. I thought you had more respect than this."

"Are you even listening to me? I've gone the past year thinking that finally you actually cared enough to get me an actual present for my birthday. Like a father would. And today I learned that you stooped low enough to steal my friend's gift. Did you know that was the only present I got that day? Or at all for the past years?" Adrien continued. Nathalie was watching guiltily from the doorway, averting her eyes from the scene.

Gabriel stood up, towering over his son. "I will not tolerate this kind of outburst! Return to your room, finish your studies, and go to bed. I will think of a proper punishment later." Adrien opened his mouth to argue. "Now!"

Adrien glared at his father. He was beyond angry, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He turned and stormed off to his room. Gabriel moved to call back his client when Nathalie spoke up. "Sir, I know you're busy with the upcoming fashion show. Let me talk to Adrien, I know a punishment suitable for this."

Gabriel dismissively waved his hand as he pulled up the contact. "Thank you Nathalie, that would be very helpful."

She sighed, grateful she had saved the boy from an unjust punishment, and went to follow Adrien to his room.

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Adrien slammed the door, but he knew in the huge halls the sound would never reach his father. Plagg slowly floated out of his holder's pocket, gazing in worry at the kid. Though he was very lax with his relationship, Adrien wa by far one of Plagg's favorite holder's he's had, and it hurt him to see Adrien upset. "Adrien? Are you okay?"

Adrien had thrown himself face down on his bed, letting the other emotions from before wash over him, the scarf still clutched in his grip. "No, I'm not. I didn't think I could think lower of my father, but I find out that he didn't have the time to get his own son a birthday present, and probably just handed the responsibility to Nathalie last minute, and had her give me someone else's gift to me." He flipped over and looked at the scarf. It really was a work of art, perfectly woven, in the year he'd had it he had yet to have any loose threads. The color was flashy but pretty, it was soft, and it kept him warm from the cold. He wondered how Marinette had managed to get the materials, and felt elated at the fact that she must have poured hours of her life into making this just for him. And then she was humble enough to let him think it was his father's gift. It hit him just how much he had boasted of the scarf in front of her. It must have been agonizing, someone else taking credit for your work. He put the scarf back around his neck. Maybe it wasn't special in the way he thought it was, but it was still his favorite scarf, now just for a new reason.

He felt Plagg nuzzle his cheek, and smiled at the kwami's comfort. "Thanks, Plagg." Plagg stiffened, then flew away as the door to Adrien's room creaked open.

He lifted his head to see Nathalie's worried face. "Adrien? Are you okay?"

Adrien tiredly smiled at her. "Not really, but thanks for checking up on me."

Nathalie's heart sank. She wasn't exactly in love with her job, but it paid well, and she did care for the young man. It saddened her to see him so… unloved. It made it worse that it was partially… well, more than partially her fault. "Adrien, I wanted to talk to you about your birthday last year." she said as she walked further into the room.

"I get it. He probably thrust it on you last minute, on top of all your other work, you panicked when you forgot, and you saw an opportunity to make sure I didn't feel the way I am now, and you took it." He said. Nathalie had to hand it to him, he was pretty much spot on. "Am I right?"

She smiled softly and nodded. "Pretty much. But that doesn't change the fact that I did something wrong."

"Don't worry about it. It's not your job to care about me, it's his." Adrien said, rolling on his side to face away from her. "I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're worried about. Honestly I just want to be alone right now."

Nathalie's heart sank even further. But she respected his wishes, leaving his room and shutting the door behind her.

Plagg slowly flew back over to Adrien. "This may not be the best time, but you do have patrol with Ladybug tonight." He reminded.

Adrien smiled at this. Maybe seeing his Lady would brighten his day. "I can't wait for it."

That's the next chapter! I'll warn you, not all the updates will be this frequent, I just had the idea and knew how I wanted the first few chapters to go.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Adrien stormed off to confront his father, Nino spent the rest of the day panicking and pacing his room. How could he be so stupid? He had sworn to Alya he wouldn't tell, and for nearly a year he had kept that promise.

Finally he worked up the nerve to text Alya. Better he tell her now than she hears it later. He pulled out his phone and pulled up their texts. He adored his girlfriend, but she was terrifying when she was upset.

N: Hey.

A: Hey! What's up?

N: Nothing much. You?

He was avoiding the topic, and he knew it.

A: Same. Trying to finish our history homework, ugh.

N: Yeah, it's pretty hard.

N: So… I have something to tell you.

A: Okay…

N: I may have let a secret slip.

A: What secret

He gulped.

N: I may or may not have told Adrien about Marinette making him a scarf.

He wasn't sure if the following lack of texts was more terrifying than a torrent of angry texts from his girlfriend. Finally, she responded.

A: WHAT THE HELL NINO!

N: I'm sorry! We were talking about the scarf, he said he loved the design, and I muttered that Marinette did a good job! I didn't realize I said it out loud!

A: You swore you wouldn't tell!

N: I know, I said I was sorry.

A: Do NOT say anything to Marinette, and make sure Adrien doesn't either. Understand?!

N: Yes! I'll call him right now!

Nino exited the conversation and fumbled with his phone to call Adrien. He groaned as it went to voicemail.

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"Plagg, claws out!" As Adrien went through the transformation, his phone went off. Chat Noir looked at the caller ID. Nino. He sighed, and let it go to voicemail. He didn't have time to talk, he was too anxious to get to his lady. He leapt out of his window as his friend called again, and again, and again.

Chat Noir raced across the rooftops of the city of love to their usual meeting place. He lived for the nights he spent as Chat Noir, the wind in his hair and face and the racing across the rooftops, and of course seeing the love of his life.

He was early, and so sat on a ledge, gazing at the Eiffel Tower. And then he started to do exactly what he was trying to distract himself from doing, thinking about the day's events. The same wave of emotions returned. He sighed, and decided to sort them out.

He was still angry at his father, adding that he didn't hear a word of Adrien's rant on top of that he had once again dismissed his own son's birthday and taken his friend's gift and passed it off as his own.

That led to the confusing emotions. He rested his chin in his hand as he thought about Marinette. She… was interesting. He wondered why she was always so awkward around him, fumbling for sentences and tripping and blushing. Save for the few times circumstance had come and she had been, for lack of a better word, normal. No, better than normal. When city hall was under attack by Darkblade, she had bravely led their classmates to safety and held back the army outside. When he enlisted her help with the Evillistrator, she had surprised him with her calm, collected demeanor, helped him escape the cage, and she was even sassy. He grinned at the memory. And she was brave through the whole Horrificator ordeal, until she had been captured that is. Yes, she only seemed to be weird around him. He thought he had made her upset somehow, or maybe intimidated her, but then why would she hand make that scarf for him? The materials couldn't have been cheap, and he doubted it was a project made in short amount of time. She was the sole person to get him a gift, not that he was expecting anything. He had been pleasantly surprised to get one, actually. Why him? To his knowledge Alya was the only other one she had made something special for her birthday. Nino got a new headset from her, so why did he get something so personal? It made him happy and pleased that she thought of him, but it still confused him nonetheless.

Then back to the disappointment. As angry at his father as he was, he was still even more disappointed and sad that he really hadn't thought of him after all. Why? Why was it so hard to get any affection from his father after all? The one thing he craved was attention, so deprived of it at home that he relished any affection or attention he got. Nathalie was nice to him, but she was never like that. Gorilla was stoic. He doubted Chloe's advances were genuine, so really it was his friends that gave him what he loved. He loved the highfives and occasional hug from Nino, maybe more than he should. He loved Alya's occasional hugs, and though she was awkward he loved the few times he was close to Marinette. The very few times Plagg was serious and nuzzled his cheek were amazing, and he was pretty sure Plagg knew it. And above all, he loved the hugs and highfives, slight circumstantial touches, and end of fight fistbumps he shared with Ladybug.

Chat failed to notice the soft landing of Ladybug behind him, nor did he notice the tears pooling in his eyes. She didn't. "Chat? What's wrong?"

Her voice made him jump, but he grinned at the red and black polka dots that were brought to his eyes. He jumped to his feet, bowing. "Nothing, M'Lady, now that you're here." He said, flashing his trademark grin and winking.

Ladybug crossed her arms. "Don't play it off, Chat, I'm serious. What's wrong?"

His grin fell at the serious but worried look across his Lady's face. Her beautiful bluebell eyes were laced with concern. He sighed. "Nothing you'd want to hear. It's trouble with my civilian life, don't worry about it."

Ladybug sighed. She tried to keep their civilian selves as secret as possible, but she cared too much for her partner to let it drop. "You can't make it vague?"

He smiled at her insisting. "It's… it's my father, mainly, and a friend of mine. I thought my father did something great for me, which was awesome because he usually isn't very involved in our relationship. Turns out my friend did the thing, and he pretended it was him who did the thing." His smile grew. "Vague enough, M'Lady?"

Ladybug returned his smile. Through their time together, she had unwittingly pieced together that Chat had a shaky home life. "Does your friend know you know?"

"Not yet. My friend wanted to let me think it was my father, so I'm not sure if I should tell them or not, and if I do, how to even go about it." He admitted. "I just don't know what to do, I have all these feelings that I'm trying to piece together, and I'm lost."

Ladybug walked over and sat down on the ledge next to him, Chat lowering himself back down to his seat. "Well, I think now that you know, you should tell our friend, properly thank them. I can't imagine it was easy for them to know that someone else was taking credit for their work."

Chat smiled wistfully. "I was thinking the same thing M'Lady." He gazed at the Tower once more. "I want to thank them properly, but I'm afraid of making things awkward."

"I don't really see how it could be awkward." Ladybug said thoughtfully. "You'd finally be thanking them for doing something cool for you."

Chat smiled. "True, but you don't know my friend." he responded. He sighed, standing up and offering a hand to his Lady to help her up, which she accepted. "Thanks for the talk, M'Lady, but I believe we have a patrol to get to?"

She flashed him that perfect smile that never ceased to make his heart flutter. "Quite right, kitty. I'm glad I could help." She smirked. "Now, try to keep up." She said cheekily, turning and leaping across to the next rooftop.

Chat grinned, following his Lady into the night.

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The next morning, Adrien met up with Nino at school early. As soon as he stepped out of the limo, still sporting the scarf to his friend's surprise, Nino rushed him and gripped his shoulders. "PLEASE tell me you didn't say anything to Marinette!" Nino said, panic in his voice.

Adrien smiled reassuringly. "I said nothing." Nino breathed a sigh of relief. "Yet."

This brought the panic back. "No! Dude, I tried telling you yesterday Alya made me swear I wouldn't tell!"

"Well, you did, what's done is done. And I want to thank Marinette for her gift." Adrien said, unconsciously reaching up to feel the silky fabric again. "Why would I pretend that I don't know?"

"Because she-" Nino stopped himself from revealing an even bigger secret that definitely would have caused Alya to kill him. "B-Because… because she would feel bad."

Adrien raised his eyebrow. "Feel bad? Why would she feel bad?"

"Because… she really felt bad about your dad and stuff, so it would ruin the… the happiness that seeing you praising your dad's scarf brings her. Plus it would make her feel awkward about the whole thing! And you know how Marinette is, she needs to chill out enough as it is." He finished, mentally kicking himself. He got the feeling he was digging himself a deeper and deeper hole with every word he uttered. At least this part was true, but it wasn't the main reason.

Adrien furrowed his brow. "I don't know… Nino, I really think…"

"You're thinking wrong. Look, just take my word for it, and please promise me you won't tell! Okay?!" Nino pleaded.

He sounded desperate. Adrien sighed, knowing Nino wasn't going to let up. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything." Adrien said, making sure Nino couldn't see the crossed finger behind his back.

Nino visibly relaxed, his tense shoulders sagging. "Thank you." He breathed, placing a hand over his chest. "Look, I'm sure it'll all work out. Just play it cool." He said, getting back into his chill demeanor. "C'mon, let's head to class."

Adrien let Nino lead him to their classroom, meanwhile he mentally tried to figure out how he was going to let Marinette know he knew.

 **Oh, Nino. What will happen next? Review, let me know what you thought.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I didn't expect so many follows and favs so fast! Thank you everyone reading, your support is greatly appreciated. By the way, there's another Miraculous fic I'm writing, Miraculous Short Stories. It's just a collection of one shots, occasional two shots, and almost entirely fluff and cute moments between the love square. So if you like that kind of stuff, check it out, and if you have an idea for a shot then PM me your idea, I'll respond if I like it. That's all, enjoy the story.**

Adrien's eyes immediately found Marinette as he and Nino entered the class. She was drawing in her notebook, the one he knew that she used exclusively for designs. He averted his gaze as Marinette looked up at them, and as always plastered a nervous smile on her face. "Morning guys!" She greeted.

Adrien looked back at her and smiled. "Morning Marinette." He greeted back. He inwardly smiled as she froze for a second, before returning his smile. This one seemed much more genuine. He took his seat in front of her, placing his head in his hand, casually looking around the room and leaning back. He eventually got to Marinette, who was back to drawing in her book. What was it about her that had suddenly captured his attention?

Nino was oblivious to Adrien's covert staring, but it was not lost on Alya. She narrowed her eyes, but smirked. _At least now he's finally paying proper attention to her._ She thought to herself.

Mrs. Bustier called their attention to the front. "Alright, everyone. I appreciate you all behaving during your free period yesterday, but unfortunately we must resume lessons sometime. Turn your books to page 63, and begin reading to page 104. We will discuss the book near the end of class." With that she sat at her desk, and the students obediently opened their books and started to read. Almost everyone, that is. Chloe decided to touch up her make-up while Sabrina read, and Adrien went over ideas on how to thank Marinette. He suspected there was something Nino wasn't telling him, but he pushed that thought away, it wasn't important. Marinette had taken the time to make him an entire scarf for his birthday, no way in hell was that going to go unappreciated. Nino seemed bent on making sure he didn't, though, so he would probably intercept him if he tried it at school. And where else would he see her?

He grinned as an idea popped into his head.

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Marinette walked through the front doors of the bakery. There was a long line, so she dropped her bag behind the counter and set to work helping out her parents.

"Here's your quiche. Have a good day ma'am." She said, smiling at the woman as she left. She put a dozen cookies in a box, then returned to the counter.

She froze in place. She wasn't dreaming. Adrien was standing in front of her, smiling at her! "Hey Mari!" He greeted.

She stared for nearly ten full seconds before she managed to get words out. "A-Adrien? Hi! I mean, yeah! Hi!" she mentally smacked herself as she felt her face heating up.

Adrien looked around the bakery. It was almost empty now, he could talk to her without the pressure of waiting customers. "I've heard a lot of great things about this place, I wanted to try some of your goods." He smiled kindly at her, grinning sheepishly. "Thing is, I don't eat a whole lot of pastries, not really room for them in my, ahem, 'meal schedule' that Nathalie makes for me." He was rambling, and he knew it. "What would you recommend?"

Marinette felt like screaming. Her crush was asking which of her pastries she thought he should try! "Uh, well, I… we get a lot of orders for cakes!" _Damnit, Mari! He said he had a strict dietary regimen!_ "But, I guess you can't eat a whole cake." she said, laughing nervously. "Um, our quiches are pretty popular. But my personal favorite is our cookies."

His face lit up at that. "Cool! What kinds do you have?"

"Well, there's chocolate chip, we have macaroons, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, snickerdoodles, ummm…"

Adrien eyed a rack of red and black cookies. "What are those?"

She looked at where he was pointing. "Oh! Those are new, they're sugar cookies made in honor of Ladybug and Chat Noir. My idea." She answered.

He bent down to look at them through the glass. The black ones were baked in the shape of a cat's head, with black icing covering it with two green eyes. The red ones were shaped like ladybugs, and iced to look like them too. "Did you make them?"

"Yes, actually. I make a lot of the smaller pastries here. Those are actually pretty popular, there's a lot of admiration of our heroes." She said. She realized she was actually speaking normally, to Adrien. She smiled when she saw hunger in Adrien's eyes. She returned to her flustered state when he stood back up, flashing her that heart melting perfect smile of his. "I'll take a box of those, then."

She nodded, ringing him up. As she started boxing his order, he leaned over the counter. Nino had a point, Marinette seemed to be really nervous around him, he already knew that. He had to ease into this. "So." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That book of designs you have, how often do you actually make them? Bring them to life, I mean."

"Not as often as I would like. I don't have a whole lot of spending money, I save most of the money I get for college. Materials aren't always cheap, especially not the quality ones." She answered, gently placing the last cookie in place.

His heart fell a little. He felt almost guilty, she had probably spent a lot to make him the scarf. He reached up to feel it again. It was so soft. "So, really you need to save for your favorite designs? Maybe for special projects?"

"Mm hm." She nodded, taping the lid shut. Her cheeks were reddening again. When did he become so interested in her designing skills? It was flattering, but it confused her a little.

"Do you wear your designs to school? Or, I don't know, make stuff for your friends?"

That made her freeze again. Did he know about the scarf? She pushed that thought aside. Alya and Nino were the only ones that knew, and neither of them would ever tell Adrien. And there was no reason for him to believe that she made it for him. "Uh, y-yeah. Sometimes. I've only ever made Alya and my parents handmade gifts, yeah, I wear my designs a fair amount of time."

Adrien smirked on the inside as Marinette shakily handed him his order. He couldnt help but think that her blushing was cute. _Cute?_ Hopefully his innocent comment would get her thinking. "Thanks, Mari!" he said. He couldn't resist lifting the bag and smelling the cookies, they smelled heavenly. His eyes shot up at Marinette's small giggle at his action. He grinned. "They smell amazing. See you around." He turned to exit the store, turning back to wave goodbye. He shocked himself with the small but very noticeable jump of his heart when she waved back. _What was that about?_ He thought to himself. His eyes widened a little as he got into the back of the limo. He had thought of Marinette as cute in there, and just now he had gotten excited when she waved to him. Was he… was he crushing on Marinette?

 **Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I can't say enough how much I love the positive response to the story! Quick note, I've changed the rating to T, because I tend to curse in my writing sometimes and I've been working to tone it down for the story. Nothing excessive, I promise. Plus, the story is going to steam up a bit, and maybe some mature thoughts will run through the characters' heads. So if you're uncomfortable with that, sorry. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

As night fell, Marinette finished her homework. She glanced at the clock. "Still have some time before I'm supposed to meet Chat." She spun around in her chair. Her mind went back to earlier. She had probably looked like a total mess, stuttering and blushing and freezing in front of Adrien. Why was it so hard to talk to him? Ladybug never had a problem with it…

Tikki flew into her holder's lap. She had become attuned to Marinette's emotions, and could usually tell what she was thinking. "You know, I kind of got the feeling he thought it was cute." She said.

That got Marinette's eyes wide. She lifted her hand up to her face with Tikki in it. "W-What?! What makes you say that?!"

Tikkie laughed at Marinette's expression. "Maybe you didn't see it, but he was staring at you almost the entire time, and not in a bad way. I bet he thought it was cute."

Marinette thought back to the encounter. He _had_ seemed to have suddenly taken a big interest in her. A huge smile grew across her face at the thought. She _had_ to tell Alya about this tomorrow.

Tikki brought her back from her daydream. "It's 8:30, time to meet Chat."

Marinette nodded. "Can't keep the kitty waiting. Spots on!"

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Marinette made it to the Eiffel Tower in less than two minutes. That had to be a record for her.

Chat seemed to be distracted again, he didn't notice her land in the rooftop. To her relief he didn't seem to be upset anymore. "Evening Chat." She greeted. She suppressed a laugh at his jump. Then her breath caught at what was in his hands. Cookies. _Her_ cookies.

He was grinning. "Hello, bugaboo." He greeted back. He raised the Chat cookie to his mouth to take another bite. "Hey, have you ever been to the Dupain-Cheng bakery?"

So he hadn't figured out her identity, that was good. "Uh, o-once or twice." She stammered.

He held out a ladybug cookie to her. "Try this, I went by there today and saw these. That Marinette girl made these in honor of us! And they taste amazing to boot!" He said, taking another bite.

She took the cookie, smiling at his praise. She bit into it. She had already had these, of course. But she had to act like it was her first one. "Oh my God, these _are_ amazing." She said, swallowing. She had to give herself credit, she was proud of her creation.

"I know right?! I haven't had a whole lot of sweets in my life, but these are definitely some of the best cookies I've ever had." Chat said. He looked sad that he had finished his cookie. He grinned sheepishly. "Probably bad that I've almost eaten an entire box, huh? I need to go back tomorrow."

Ladybug laughed. "Don't eat too many, I need you in peak condition if you want to keep up with me."

He smirked. "Please. It's going to take more than a few cookies to ruin this." He boasted, flexing his muscles and posing.

He was making it very hard for her not to laugh. She settled on rolling her eyes. "So." She said, changing the topic. "Did you solve that problem you were having?"

He nodded. "Working on it. I don't want to just spring it on her… them. So, I uh…" He looked at her face to see if she had caught his slip. She had.

"So it's a girl." She teased. "Are your eyes wandering, Kitty cat?"

She had no idea how guilty her comment had made him feel. He doubted she really knew his true feelings, but he was head over heels for her. Though they weren't dating, his heart fluttering when he had talked to Marinette had felt like cheating. He faked a grin though. "I have eyes only for you, M'Lady."

Another eye roll. "Well, I'm glad you took my advice. Let's go patrol, shall we?"

He nodded. "Right behind you, M'Lady."

He followed her across the rooftop. But when he watched the bounce of her pigtails like always, he found his mind wandering to another bluenette.

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The next day was a Saturday, so no school. Marinette was working on a new jacket she had thought of the previous night, when her mother knocked on the trap door to her room. When she popped her head in, she was smirking. "Mari dear, there's a boy here asking for you."

Marinette's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't come _back_ , had he?! She grinned, following her mother downstairs. Sure enough, Adrien was standing there, smiling that perfect smile. "Morning Mari!" He greeted.

She waved, back, suppressing a wide smile. "M-Morning!"

His heart danced again. He liked this feeling, he had only ever felt it around one other person. "So… I may have already eaten all of those cookies." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. He seemed embarrassed. "Any chance I could get some more?" She nodded reaching for the superhero tray. "Could I also try some of the other cookies?"

She grinned at his enthusiasm. He liked her baking! "Yeah! I'm glad you like them, they've been a real hit."

He grinned back at her. "I can see why. They're awesome, you did an amazing job."

The feeling she got from his praise was indescribable. It felt like she was on cloud nine. She rang him up, filling up two boxes this time with assorted cookies. She handed him his bag, and he once again smelled the cookies. They smelled like what he thought heaven would smell like. He took a deep breath. Now came the part he was nervous about. "So, uh… Are you doing anything today?"


	6. Chapter 6

Marinette had frozen on the spot. He definitely noticed, and he scrambled to finish his invitation. "Cause I'm not, and I was wondering if you wanted to… I don't know, hang out?" He was terrified he had broken her. This was a stupid idea, he wasn't even sure _why_ he was doing it. Yesterday he had just wanted to thank her for the scarf, to let her know he knew. Now… There was no denying it, now he had just asked her out on a date.

Words could not describe his relief when she answered. "I-I'm… No, I'm not doing anything. Where d-do you want to g-go?" _Well, I got out some words, that's good. I can work in the charm and grammar and complete sentences later._ Her eyes widened even further. _Wait. Did he just ask me out?!_

Adrien grinned. "Well, it's almost noon. How about lunch?"

Marinette nodded feebly. "I, uh… Yes!" She blurted. Her face was redder than a strawberry. "I just need to get dressed! A-and get permission from my parents." She said, trying to lower her voice.

Adrien nodded in understanding. "I'll wait." He said, smiling kindly. He was aware of his own flushed face. _She_ is _cute._ He thought to himself.

Marinette couldn't get to her room quickly enough. She worked to control her breathing, hyperventilating. All the while Tikki watched with a smirk on her face. "I _told_ you he was getting interested." She teased. "Marinette, he just asked you out! And you said _yes_! I'm so proud of you!"

Marinette grinned giddily. "I feel like I'm dreaming." She whispered. Then her eyes widened and she paled. Tikki sighed, her worrying was inevitable. "Oh. My. God! Tikki, I'm going to look like an _idiot!_ I can barely form complete sentences around him, how the hell am I going to spend the entire afternoon with him?! What if I faint?! He'll be so freaked out… I… I can't…"

The hyperventilating made a return. Tikki rushed to her holder's face and squeezed her cheeks. "Marinette, snap out of it! He's down there waiting for you! You'll be fine, this is what you've been waiting for! Now get dressed, go down there, and knock his pants off!"

That brought a thought into Marinette's head that made her face redden even further. Tikki sighed, flying over to Marinette's closet and pulling out her clothes. "Look, this is cute!" It was a green shirt with a black cat on it, and Tikki had grabbed a black jacket to go with it and bright green leggings. She flew back to the closet and grabbed a pair of black boots. "Put it on, hurry!"

Marinette did as she was told, hurriedly dressing and brushing her hair. Her room was heated, and she started feeling hot, but the warm clothes would be a blessing once she got outside. Though, being around Adrien may end up making her feel hotter than needed…

She finished and Tikki flew into Marinette's bag. "I'll be right in here, moral support! Now go!"

Marinette nodded, running down stairs to her parents. "Mama, dad? Can I…?"

Her parents were beaming. "We're sorry dear, we couldn't help but listen to your conversation with him. It's fine, go! Have fun!" Her mother said.

"You need to introduce us to him sometime, he looks like a handsome boy." Her father boomed. Marinette grinned sheepishly, hugging her parents and running out into the bakery. Adrien was waiting in the corner, munching on a macaroon. He glanced at Marinette, and his jaw dropped. She couldn't help but laugh as a little bit of cookie fell out of his mouth and he scrambled to wipe his mouth, embarrassed.

She walked over to him nervously. "So, uh… Where were you thinking of going?"

He took second to answer. "Uh? Oh! There's a sandwich place a few blocks away I've always liked, I was thinking of going there." He answered, rubbing his neck.

Marinette nodded. She mentally debated whether or not she should try just avoiding talking unless necessary to avoid looking stupid. No, that would just be awkward. He held open the door for her, and she smiled, walking out. She now took the time to notice what he was wearing. He was still wearing the scarf to her glee, along with his usual black shirt, and jeans, though his white T-shirt had been replaced with a white jacket.

She walked slightly in front of him, and Adrien couldn't stop his eyes from roving over her, blushing when his eyes went lower than he wanted them too. She was… beautiful. Her blue hair was tied back in it's usual pigtails, and her creamy skin was glowing in the sunlight. And he loved the cat shirt she had on.

He had been warm on his way over here thanks to the scarf and his jacket, but now he was feeling hot. He loosened the scarf a little, taking a deep breath. The silence between them as they approached the shop was deafening. "So, make any new designs lately?"

"Yeah, actually, just before you came to the bakery I was working on a new jacket." She answered, brightening a little. She loved talking about her designs.

"Is it in that little book you use for your designs?" He asked.

That caught her off guard. He had paid attention to her design book? "Yeah, actually. I use it for all my designs, carry it everywhere. I actually have it in my bag right now." She said, digging around. Tikki pushed it into her hands, and Marinette mouthed a thank you before pulling it out.

Adrien smiled. "Mind if I see it?" He asked.

Marinette nodded, handing him the book as they waited in line. Adrien flipped through the pages. He couldn't believe it, she was brilliant. The pages were filled with detailed drawings, and he was amused by the notes. She had possible materials written down, ideas for what to add. The drawings were underlined by erased lines of first ideas of how they should look before she had decided on a look. There were crossed out notes, a section with ideas jotted down, probably for when she doesn't have time to draw and just wants to write down an idea for future reference. Marinette grinned as he became absorbed in her designs. _I can't believe he likes them so much._ She thought to herself. Then she paled as she saw what page he was on. If he turned a few more pages, he would see five whole pages dedicated to the scarf!

She saw a way out. "Hey, did we grab a number?" She asked, working to control her voice.

Adrien slapped his forehead. "Damn it! Sorry, I'll run and get one." He said, handing her the book back and running to get a number. She breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at the menu. She hadn't really gotten breakfast, and she was starving. The meatball sub looked tempting…

Adrien returned with a ticket. "68." He said, holding up the ticket and smiling. "So, what looks good?"

She looked back at the menu. "Well, I'm tempted by the meatball sub, but…"

"You should get it. That's what I always get, it's delicious." He said. 67 flashed on the LED sign. "Some fries on the side, mwah." He said, kissing his fingers and making an open palm.

She smiled. "Alright, I'll get it."

68 flashed and they stepped up to the counter. "Two meatball subs, and s basket of fries please." Adrien ordered. Marinette reached for her wallet, when Adrien held up his hand. "My treat." He said, handing the cashier his card. _He's such a gentleman._ She thought. They walked to a booth and sat down while their food was being made. "So Mari." Adrien said, breaking the silence. "I have to say, your designs are some of the best I've seen in the industry. Fashion week is next week, have you ever considered having some of your designs showcased?"

Marinette's heart soared and fell at the same time. He didn't ask her out to lunch just for a business proposition, did he? But at the same time, it would be an honor. "Is that why you asked me to lunch?" She asked quietly.

Adrien's eyes widened. "No! I really did want to spend time with you. The idea just occurred to me, I thought you would like it."

She beamed. This was turning out to be one of the greatest days of her life. Her work being showcased in fashion week, _and_ a date with Adrien! "I would love to! Oh my God, thank you!"

He grinned back. He wondered if now would be a good time to tell her he knew about the scarf. _Screw it._ "You really are talented, Mari. I've seen your designs. They're all amazing." His grin grew. "Though, I think my favorite would have to be…"

He was interrupted by a painfully familiar blonde girl's screech. "What the fuck is this?!"


	7. Chapter 7

Adrien groaned as Chloe stalked over to their booth, seething. "You! _You_ told me you had plans today!" She growled, glaring at Adrien.

He returned the glare. "I did. Plans to meet Marinette for lunch." He said.

Chloe grinded her teeth. " _This_ does not qualify as grounds to blow me off! You'd seriously rather spend the afternoon with Maritrash than with _me?!_ "

Marinette scowled, ready to defend herself and Adrien when he stood up to face her. "First of all, I did _not_ blow you off. I told you I was busy, and I am. Second, yes. I would. Because she's actually pleasant to be around." He growled. His heart was racing. He had never spoken to Chloe this way, but she had seriously pissed him off this time. Calling Marinette that awful name was crossing the line. "And third of all, don't call her that. At least have the decency to call her by her real name." Chloe was speechless, as was Marinette. She had never seen Adrien angry before. "What are you even doing here? I thought you said this place was for 'commoners'?"

Chloe's snarl returned. "Sabrina saw you go into the bakery and texted me."

Adrien sighed in exasperation. "So now you have Sabrina spying on me? For God's sake, Chloe, get over yourself."

Chloe hmphed and flipped her hair. "It's me or her, Adrien. Make your choice."

Adrien smirked, plopping himself down in the booth to Chloe's outrage. "You little…!" She put on a sad face. "Aren't you going to fight for me Adrikins?"

He kept his glare. "No." He stated simply.

Chloe opened her mouth to speak when Marinette cut her off. "He gave you his answer, Chloe." She said sternly. "You should leave while you still have some dignity."

Chloe had been glaring daggers at Adrien, but there were no words for the look she gave Marinette. "You bitch! You're both going to…"

"If anyone here is being a bitch it's you, Chloe. Leave." Adrien growled. The blonde glared daggers at both of them, and turned and stalked out the door. Adrien sighed, rubbing his temples. He glanced at Marinette. "I am so, so sorry."

Marinette gave a small smile. "I've seen you so angry. You've never gone off on anyone like that."

Adrien smiled sheepishly. "She was calling you names and ruining our…" He left the sentence hanging, not sure what to call their lunch together.

Marinette debated in her head whether or not to take a risk. Well, today had been great so far, right? "Date?" She ventured, softly.

Adrien's cheeks reddened. "Uh… yeah…" He averted his gaze. He fought the urge to groan when Ladybug popped into his mind. He felt horrible. This was very obviously a date. He felt like he was cheating on his Lady. For nearly two years now he had pined for her affection, and now he was taking a new crush out on a date. He hadn't even had this in mind when he woke up this morning. His heart was torn between who he had seen as the love of his life for two years, and the sweet, talented, sassy, beautiful classmate that he was just starting to see for who she really was.

Marinette stared at Adrien stared at the floor. He was obviously deep in thought, and judging by his expression he was upset about something. Her imagination ran wild with possibilities. Was he mad at her for something? Did he not want to be here anymore? Did he even want to be here in the first place? Had she misjudged his feelings towards her? Then she decided that she was being selfish. Something was troubling him, and she was focusing on herself. "A-Adrien? Are you okay?"

He smiled sadly at her. "I… No, not really. I have a lot on my mind." He panicked at her crestfallen face. "Mari, you didn't do anything wrong. I swear, it's something else. Personal problem."

She felt relieved, but wanted to make him stop hurting. "Is it anything I can help with?"

He wondered if he even deserved someone so kind. "No, I need to deal with it on my own. I appreciate the offer though."

A waitress approached their table and set the subs and fries in front of them. "Have a good day." She chirped, returning to the counter.

Adrien turned back in his seat so he was facing Marinette again. "Bon appetit." he said, lifting his sandwich and biting into it. Marinette grinned and followed suit. They ate in silence, but for the first time, it wasn't an awkward silence. More of a friendly, knowing silence as they enjoyed their meal. Then an explosion hit their ears.

 **Cliffhanger! Thank you again to everyone reading for the support, I love that my story is entertaining so many people.**


	8. Update

Hi guys!

First off I'd like to apologize for the (extreme) delay. At first it was because of schoolwork, as I was falling behind on my grades. Then it was because I started focusing on two of my other stories, and for awhile forgot about this one.

I AM continuing this, I just need to first figure out where I want it to end and second, write an akuma battle, which has turned out to be a lot harder than expected. Thank you all for your patience and interest in the story.


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